Alyssa Gibson ENG 3840j: Writing, Reading, and Rhetoric in the Professions Mr.

Vetter September 26, 2013

Genre: A Whole New World

Genre is a huge influence on not only writing, but also in everyday events. The authors of Anne Beaufort, Kerry Dirk, Carol Berkenkotter, and Thomas Huckins have inspired writers to open their minds to a whole new way of writing and a whole new form and use of genre. Situatedness is one of the main theories of genre that will be used throughout this paper and also throughout life because I believe it is a huge enhancement of knowledge and understanding of how a simple situation can change the form of genre completely. Situatedness deals with, situated cognition, which is the transition of genre between activities of different cultures of different events and situations. A paper may be based on one topic and one form of genre but when it comes to reaching out into the real world, that genre could be a range of different directions. Writers in the past have thought of genre to be just the structure and the context of a paper, but it has evolved into much more over the years and will probably continue to grow and evolve into greater and more powerful examples, such as news articles or clinics. Genre has passed over more than just an academic form of writing, it has transformed into a country song, or into linguistic rules and rhetorical functions. Genre has converted into the advanced techniques of press release, letters of request and grant proposals. Everyday conversations, whether it be between a group of friends or towards a higher level of education as in a lab report or college applications, all of these interactions and types of communication includes a different genre. These examples are how genre

has changed because its not just on paper where people see genre in action but its in everyday things and its the way people communicate and interact with one another. Through different books, magazines, television shows and just the different stages of our life, individuals have experienced different components of genre that they probably did not even know about or that they were not even aware was happening. My line of focus towards genre deals with the field of Child and Family Studies. This is a broad field that starts with maybe just a small town school and then could move into larger organizations of hundreds of people, or it could move more towards the medical contents of life. Hospitals, clinics, foundations, schools; all of these institutions need people who have learned and graduated from a Child and Family Studies education. The two main organizations and documents of genre used to further influence and express my views of partaking in this field of study deals with, a womens clinic called My Sisters Place, and then a news article called The Journal of Child and Family Studies, to which both of these forms enhances and analyzes the knowledge of the topic. Researching and understanding these two types of genre will help me answer the questions of, what is the purpose of the piece? Who is my audience? And who does it matter the most too? These questions will help me further explore my major and reach the goals of figuring out my future plans. Analyzing and understanding the concept of situatedness, as Carol Berkenkotter and Thomas Huckins have explained, is the key and responsibility of individuals whose life goal is to take on the field of being a Child and Family Study major. We have to analyze a child, a woman, a family, a man, or grandparent, and teenager and figure out the core to the problem. That core may deal with that persons surroundings, or interests,

their background, or environment, or really just any given situation that person may be in. My Sisters Place is a form of genre used to portray all the different jobs and opportunities in which individuals of this program/major could be apart of. This shelter is an Allstate foundation that brings job readiness and job training, or financial education to people and most importantly it protects and defends survivors of domestic violence. Abuse, danger, violation, fear; these are descriptions of how many people, mostly women, have felt. My Sisters Place is a comfortable and safe place for anyone to reach out to and for women in need to go to. The staff members make it known that these ladies are not alone and they will do whatever it takes and whatever they can to help them and make them feel safe again. An argument might be made by saying, why is this clinic just for women? Or is this clinic just for women? Some people might also complain that it is a little bias and that males get abused and feel violated just as much as women. That is all very true, but with this type of organization and this type of genre its main focus is women and on the specific surroundings and people involved. Bakhtins states that, between primary and secondary speech genres is a useful framework for distinguishing between those forms of response that we use in daily communicative activities (p 49). This expresses that depending on the framework or situation it will distinguish the type of communication or type of audience used. This analysis then leads to one of my previous questions, who is the audience? In this particular organizations, the main audience is women and the main purpose is to help those women who have been abused or have been through domestic violence. My Sisters Place reaches out to people and I believe it is a great institution for many Child and Family Study majors to be apart of and to get into. Times may be hard and not everyone has the answers, but through the program of Child

and Family Studies, we are trained and educated to find out these answers and help families, children, women, and men who are in need. Anne Beaufort expresses the idea of a workplace. Throughout time that workplace could change, you could start out in a classroom and then move over to a business office, and then soon your running your own big corporation. Through this statement Beaufort uses the theory of rhetoric and as we change our workplace then our writing must change as well. Understanding genre is like understanding your workplace, it all changes during time and it all changes through different audiences and different surroundings. My Sisters Place dealt with the genre and workplace of abuse and women, where as a lawyer may deal with law and crime. Beaufort has taught her readers to step out of the classroom and open our minds to whats happening in the real world and to figure out and understand their own genre in their own situations. Genre is apart of life and it allows us to ask questions and make arguments of, Who? What? When? Where? Why? And how? Who am I helping? What is the main problem? When did this all happen? Where do we go from here? How can I help that person and make a difference in these peoples lives? Students and professionals who are involved in this major are always asking themselves these questions and everyday they always try to answer them in any given situation. The second form of genre I would like to discuss and analyze in The Journal of Child and Family Studies. This is a news article or forum that pertains to the mental wellbeing of children and their families. This journal answers the question of what is the purpose being in this major? And what are the different services we provide to people who reach out to us? The purpose of this genre and the main purpose for anyone involved in this field of study is to help people. We want to let people know they are not alone and

that we are here to take action and to do anything possible to make their lives and the lives around them better. In this case that example refers to the theory of rhetorical action. Some of the different services provided through this article include: program evaluation emotional and behavioral disorders, foster care, child abuse, respite care, mental health care financing, family stress, homelessness, substance abuse, and many more. This article goes into more than just research but it also digs into the treatments, rehabilitation and the prevention of certain situations. This type of genre is a great source to just get a better understanding of what people in this field of study could do and it gives outstanding knowledge who people who are in need of help. Child and Family Study majors have a huge responsibility in life and not just their own but also the lives of others. Using the theory of situatedness and the authors own views of genre we, as students, can use these ideas on paper and also out in the real world to accomplish goals and dreams and also to become successful. The grant proposal is one form of genre that Anne Beaufort discusses in chapter five of Learning New Genre. This certain type of genre was an example of the writing a person in this field of study would take on or also anyone who is involved with social work would use this type of genre in their future. A grant proposal is, codified by an individual or body into specific standards designed to regulate the form and substance of communication (p. 87). This little definition was just an example of how these different forms of genre are used in the world and used through different professions. Genre is a huge influence on writing and also a huge influence in the story of peoples lives. With the help and the guidance of the authors, Anne Beaufort, Kerry Dirk, Carol Berkenkotter, and Thomas Huckin, people and readers have a better understanding

of how genre works and how it is used everyday in a whole new way. Using the theory of situated cognition or situatedness, it has really allowed me to see and understand how genre is dependent on the different surroundings and the different situations of an event. Individuals experience genre in a text message, a phone call, interaction between you and a professor, and many more different examples. Writers in the past have only thought of genre to be just structur and contexts of a paper but we can see how much genre has transformed and how it has impacted the writing and lives of our present and future generations. My line of focus towards this project dealt with the genre of My Sisters Place and The Journal of Child and Family Studies. These two organizations and documents have given me a better understanding of possible paths I would want to take for my future plans. Through the process of analysis and argument I am able to enhance my knowledge of the subject and also my knowledge of genre. Child and Family Study majors have to take on a huge role of patience, dedication and the desire to help people. Through the examples, grant proposal, press release, repetition of rhetoric and much more mentioned throughout this paper, and also through the transformation of genre, I understand those duties and I am ready to take on any challenge that comes my way genre is a huge part of writing and it makes a paper great, but genre is also a huge part of life and it make experiences memorable.

References
Beaufort, A. (1999). Learning New Genre: The convergence of knowledge and action. In Beauforts Writing in the Real World (pp. 103-137). New York: Teachers College Press. Berkenkotter, C. and Huckin, T. (1993). Rethinking genre from a sociocognitive perspective. Written Communication, 10(4), 475-509 Dirk, K. (2010). Navigating genres. In Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 1. Retrieved from http://www.writingspaces.org/essays

Appendix
http://www.mspathens.org/. My sisters Place http://link.springer.com/journal/10826. The Journal of Child and Family Studies